Three towns along the western edge of Hertfordshire, and they could hardly be more different. Hemel Hempstead is a new town built out from an old one after the war, big enough to dominate the district. Berkhamsted has the castle ruins, the canal and a high street it has kept. Tring sits at the foot of the Chilterns with the gap in the hills behind it.

Hemel Hempstead Live covers all three and the villages around them. They share Dacorum Borough Council, which decides planning, bins, car parks and licensing, while Hertfordshire County Council runs the roads and the schools. Both publish the evidence for what they do. We read it and write down what it says, with a link to the document every time.

Everything is in three places

• News: the record, including planning applications in all three towns.
• Local Info: bin collection days, parking and council tax bands.
• What’s On: what is on in Hemel, Berkhamsted and Tring.

Every fact carries a link to its official source.